This post is sponsored by Krusteaz Blogger Bake-Off Contest. I was provided with product and compensation for participating in the contest. All content is 100% mine, honest and original. And delicious.

I will admit, first and foremost, that I have very little experience with gluten-free cooking and baking. We are a household of baked goods and grains, especially wheat. So, I was a little nervous about coming up with a gluten-free recipe. But when I learned about the new line of Krusteaz gluten-free mixes, I thought it might be the perfect way to dip my little toesies into the gluten-free pool.

– Mix the brownies according to the directions on the back of the box. Simply add in the oil, water and egg and mix until well combined.

– Pour into a lightly greased 8-inch pie pan and bake at 325F for 48-52 minutes, as directed on the box. I did the minimum 48 minutes and it was perfect. Depending on your oven, you may need a few minutes longer.

– Beat with an electric mixer until cream is light and fluffy, approximately 3-5 minutes. Do not over mix! Store in fridge until brownies are completely cooled.

– Once brownies are completely cooled – don’t jump the gun, you’ll get a puddle of melted cream! – spread the whipped frosting over the top of the brownies.

– Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces – yep, those leftovers from last year work just fine – over the top of the frosting.

– Store pie in the fridge until ready to serve. Yields approximately 16 pieces. Obviously, you can cut bigger or smaller pieces to fits your needs. A “piece of pie” is not defined in proportion to the pie as a whole… so cut that 1/4 slice and have at it.

– Store any leftovers in the fridge. I didn’t cover mine and had no issues with it drying out. It also kept the candy cane pieces from turning into goo. But it was only in the fridge for two days… and I may or may not have eaten the whole dang thing myself… I’ll never tell.

This turned out to be the perfect way to try my hand at gluten-free baking. I didn’t have to spend 800 hours googling “is … gluten free?” The brownie mix has a brown rice flour base and gave the brownies a little bit different texture than what I typically think of brownies. My teenage sister thought the brownies themselves weren’t sweet enough, but I really liked that they weren’t overly sweet. The whipped frosting on top was the perfect sweetener for her, but didn’t create a sickly sweet, too-rich dessert. This would make an excellent gluten-free addition to any holiday parties you’ve got coming up! It’s topped with candy canes, after all. If that doesn’t scream “Happy Holidays”, I don’t know what does!

Would you like to try out the new Krusteaz’s mixes too? Well, how about a fun giveaway?! Up for grabs is two boxes of each new gluten-free mix, a cute Krusteaz tote. and a great spatula (can you have too many of those?!). Giveaway runs until December 21, 2014 at 12am. Winner will be announced on this post and notified by email. Good luck!a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m knee-deep in Tonka trucks & Thomas trains. I survive our crazy days with Vanilla Coke, Sonic slushies, sweet snuggles and little giggles. When I tuck them in tight & kiss them good night, I get a little time to create & just be me.